South Dakota Tech News Report August-September 2004

South Dakota Tech News Report
August-September 2004
July R&D Funding Tops $860,000 At South Dakota Tech
South Dakota Tech researchers and professors received more than $860,000 in research and development funding during July 2004. The awards will fund research into advanced materials, create a women’s mentoring program, continue developing a biochemical engineering program and investigate causes of water pollution in Black Hills streams.
South Dakota Tech, an engineering and science university in Rapid City, boasts a solid research program. In the 2004 fiscal year, South Dakota Tech researchers received more than $11.9 million in sponsored research and development funding. Since 2001, South Dakota Tech has received nearly $60 million in Congressional appropriations for research and development, including $15.2 million in the 2005 Defense spending bill.
Tech is home to several research institutions and centers, and plans are underway to expand the number of graduate degrees and to enhance the technology-transfer process.
The July awards:
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Dr. William Cross, instructor and research scientist III, and Dr. Jon Kellar, professor and chair, Department of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering; Dr. Chris Jenkins, professor and chair, and Dr. Umesh Korde, associate professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, received $400,000 from the National Science Foundation for the project, “Acquisition of Instrumentation for Advanced Materials Characterization.”
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Dr. Kerri Vierling, associate professor, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Dr. Andrea Surovek, assistant professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Dr. Jennifer Karlin, assistant professor, Industrial Engineering Program, received $200,000 in additional funding from the National Science Foundation for the project, “CAREER: A Keystone Species Approach to Determining Post-fire Successional Influence on Cavity user Communities in the Black Hills, South Dakota.” The funding will be used to create a women’s mentoring program at South Dakota Tech.
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Dr. Patrick Gilcrease, assistant professor, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, received $110,000 from the Great Plains Education Foundation, Inc. for the project, “Development of the Biochemical Engineering Laboratory at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.”
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Dr. Sherry Farwell, adjunct research scientist IV, received $97,402 from United States Department of Defense for the project, “Develop a Cryogenic Focusing System.”
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Dr. Charles Kliche, professor, and Dr. Zbigniew Hladysz, professor, Mining Engineering and Management Program, received $54,487 from the United States Department of Labor – Mine Safety and Health Administration for the project, “Mine Health and Safety Training.”
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Dr. Alvis Lisenbee, professor, Department of Geology and Geological Engineering, received $4,479 from the West Dakota Water Development District for the project, “Determination of Historic Ground Water Pollution Problems, Spring Creek, Rapid Creek and Box Elder Creek Drainages.”
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S.D. Tech FY 2004 R&D Funding Nearly $12 Million
South Dakota Tech researchers and professors received a near-record of more than $11.9 million in research and development funding during the 2004 fiscal year that ended in June.
The awards are funding research in departments across campus. Some research is basic, and is designed to create new knowledge or to add to the literature on a given topic. Other research is applied, and is meant to produce real-world products. South Dakota Tech has placed an emphasis on applied research to benefit the state, region and nation.
��Research is a critical endeavor for this university,” Tech President Dr. Charles Ruch said. “Using research to create technology-based economic development opportunities represents a way for Tech to make South Dakota an even better place to live and work.”
Tech, an engineering and science university in Rapid City, is home to several research institutions and centers, and plans are underway to expand the number of graduate degrees and to enhance the technology-transfer process.
Tech boasts a solid research program. During the 2004 fiscal year, Tech researchers and professors received 93 awards from federal and state agencies, from corporations, and from direct Congressional appropriations. Since 2001, Tech has received nearly $60 million in Congressional appropriations for research and development, including $15.2 million in the 2005 Defense spending bill. In the first month of the 2005 fiscal year, Tech researchers and professors received more than $860,000 in awards, four times the amount received in July 2003.
“We will continue to be aggressive in our efforts to bring research funding to South Dakota,” Ruch said. “We want South Dakota to enjoy a vibrant and healthy economy, and we believe we can help make that happen. We appreciate the assistance of our industrial partners and the South Dakota Congressional delegation for helping us reach this important goal.”
FY 2004 award highlights:
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Researchers and professors across campus received $6,150,000 in Congressional appropriations through the Army Research Laboratory for a series of projects designed to create a lighter, faster, more lethal and better defended U.S. Army. The projects range from creating new materials for vehicles to polymers for protective gear. All of the research is designed to help create the Army’s Future Combat Systems.
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Two researchers are using an $802,108 Congressional appropriation through the Air Force Research Laboratory to build better, cheaper and faster satellites for defense and surveillance applications. One portion of the research focuses on finding a material for satellites that doesn’t expand and retract as the satellite travels around the Earth. The other project’s aim is to create methods and materials for producing mirrors much larger than are currently used in space. Larger mirrors have better resolving power, and can identify, track, and detail smaller objects on the Earth’s surface.
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Researchers in Tech’s Institute of Atmospheric Sciences received $225,000 from the United States Department of Energy to continue developing a carbon sequestration program that would allow farmers and ranchers to earn money by storing carbon in soil for companies that need to reduce carbon emissions.
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Two other Institute of Atmospheric Sciences projects – funded with $300,000 from NASA and $91,743 from the National Science Foundation – involve studying the impact of lightning-produced nitric oxide on global warming and of wetlands in eastern South Dakota on regional climate.
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Several Tech researchers are involved in a project to determine the viability of a select group of composite materials for use in vehicles. The three-year project is funded with $450,000 from the United States Department of Energy. If the composites prove to be viable, the end result could be lighter-weight cars that go further on a tank of gas. The research also could impact the entire automotive industry.
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A research project involving South Dakota Tech and a Rapid City company called HydroTech Engineering could result in an inexpensive way to remove arsenic from drinking water. The project comes at the perfect time. The drinking water standard for arsenic, currently set at 50 parts-per-billion, will be lowered to 10 ppb by 2006 because of arsenic’s links to cancer. In South Dakota, it is estimated that 30, or 8.6 percent, of the state’s public water systems will violate the 10 ppb arsenic standard. The American Water Works Association has estimated the cost of decreasing the arsenic standard to 10 ppb in South Dakota at $8.25 million. The $40,000 research project is funded by the Environmental Protection Agency.
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Two South Dakota Tech researchers are creating living organisms that may provide a better way to seal cracks in concrete. The researchers received $51,601 from the National Science Foundation to continue developing genetically engineered microorganisms that can produce excess amounts of organic and inorganic biosealant for concrete. The microbial sealant is a smart material that is environmentally safer and economically more feasible than the currently available synthetic sealing materials.
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South Dakota Tech Hires Vice President For Research
South Dakota Tech has hired a Vice President for Research in a move to continue to build on the university’s commitment to create research programs that generate new knowledge and technology-based economic benefits for the state and the nation.
Dr. Gautam Pillay will begin his duties on Sept. 15. This is a new position at Tech. Some of the duties were performed by Dr. Sherry Farwell, former Dean of Graduate Education and Research, who has been named director of the National Science Foundation’s EPSCoR program.
Pillay earned a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from New Mexico State University and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M University. He has a substantial record as a researcher and administrator in academia and at Department of Energy national laboratories.
Since 2001, Pillay has served as the executive director of the Inland Northwest Research Alliance, Inc., a non-profit scientific and educational organization of eight research universities, and as a research professor at Idaho State University. At the research alliance, Pillay was responsible for developing new collaborative research and educational opportunities for the member universities, developing and implementing strategic plans, developing business opportunities, monitoring contract and fiscal performance, conducting federal relations activities with Congressional delegations from five states, and managing human resources.
Between 1997 and 2001, Pillay served as a senior manager at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Prior to Los Alamos, he served at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s Environmental Technology Division for more than four years as a senior research engineer.
“Dr. Pillay possesses a significant record of accomplishment, evident by his many honors and awards, his membership in various professional organizations, and his numerous professional publications,” Tech President Dr. Charles Ruch said. “One of Tech’s strategies in the near future is to focus our research efforts in areas where we have, or can build, expertise. That will make us more competitive for research funding, and help us achieve our economic development goals. Dr. Pillay has the experience and skills to help us reach the lofty goals and expectations we’ve set for ourselves.”
In his new position, Pillay will provide administrative oversight, leadership and mentorship in the development and implementation of campus-wide research and graduate studies that are integrally linked to the university’s mission. He joins a university that already boasts a solid research program. In the 2003 fiscal year, South Dakota Tech researchers received more than $12 million in sponsored research funding. Since 2001, South Dakota Tech has received more than $55 million in Congressional appropriations for research and development, including $15.2 million in the 2005 Defense spending bill. Defense-related projects include research to make our military more efficient while better protecting our troops in the field.
“I am very excited about this opportunity to work at Tech with its accomplished researchers, students and administrators,” Pillay said. “Tech’s faculty and graduates have impressive records of accomplishments, and I look forward to assisting them in developing new research and educational programs and furthering the strong, ongoing projects. My wife and I are also very pleased to be able to live in Rapid City and enjoy the Black Hills.”
Tech is home to several research institutions and centers, and plans are underway to both expand the number of graduate degrees and to enhance the technology-transfer process.
One of those institutes is the Center for Accelerated Applications at the Nanoscale (CAAN). Tech has received $585,000 from the state of South Dakota to create CAAN, where work will focus on nanotechnology research in the areas of nanoparticles and associated nanosensors, with particular emphasis on South Dakota mineral development. Nanotechnology is an umbrella term that covers many areas of research dealing with objects measured in nanometers. A nanometer is a billionth of a meter, or a millionth of a millimeter. A human hair’s diameter measures about 200,000 nanometers.
Other new research initiatives include:
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The creation of the Institute for Multi-Scale Materials (IMM). The institute will coordinate and enhance materials science research activities currently under way. Much of the institute’s work will be defense-related, and could result in the materials we need for the next generation of products, industries and systems that will better protect our nation and its soldiers.
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The construction of the Computational Mechanics Laboratory addition to the Civil/Mechanical Engineering Building. The laboratory will provide much needed space for a variety of high-end computing activities. The project will include additional laboratories, classrooms, office space and meeting rooms. The laboratory will provide Tech students access to the computational mechanics hardware and software currently used by industry, and will benefit faculty and researchers involved in externally-funded projects.
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The addition of Maskless Mesoscale Materials Deposition (M3D) technology to Tech’s materials research arsenal. The technology will allow researchers to place electronics on materials that are 25 microns, or one-thousandth of an inch, wide. The process is related to the laser additive deposition capability found in Tech’s Advanced Materials Processing Center. The capabilities of the M3D equipment will improve the end results of projects such as the advanced antenna research for national defense uses.
“Dr. Pillay will play a major leadership role in guiding these and all of Tech’s research initiatives to help us achieve our institutional priorities,” Ruch said. “We are excited about Dr. Pillay joining our team because we know how talented he is.”
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Students Move Into Howard Peterson Hall On Friday
South Dakota Tech’s new, student-centered residence hall opens its doors to students Friday, Aug. 27.
The first students to move into the 300-bed Howard Peterson Hall are participants in a new program called FIRST, Freshman Introduction to Real Success at Tech. They will move in between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Howard Peterson Hall was constructed adjacent to the south end of the Surbeck Center. Room configurations include suites and standard double rooms. Study lounges, a kitchen and an exercise room offer other amenities students desire. Since the residence hall will connect to the Surbeck Center’s main floor, the campus cashier’s office, student lounge, computer lab and a common front desk operation will serve both.
“Providing students with more of what they want is the best part of this building project,” Residence Life Director Reeny Wilson said. “We've talked with many students, held focus groups and gathered survey information. Through a new residence hall, we will offer students more on-campus housing options and better meet their needs.”
The hall is named in honor of Howard Peterson, a 1950 Tech graduate who served the university as dean of students from the 1960s to his retirement in 1992. Peterson continues to mentor students as an advisor, as a member of several university boards and as chairman-emeritus of the SDSM&T Foundation Board of Directors.
Tech will formally dedicate the residence hall at 11 a.m. Friday, Sept. 24, to coincide with M Week festivities.
Features of the new building include:
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Individual temperature control in each room
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Air conditioning
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Large windows
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Sinks in every room
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Moveable furniture
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Beds that can be bunked or lofted
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Large laundry room with ice machine
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Exercise room
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Study rooms
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Private showers and dressing areas in the public shower rooms
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Kitchen
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Card access entry to rooms
The FIRST program will be an important part of life in Howard Peterson Hall. The program will help students develop connections with each other and the university during each student’s first year on campus. One of the initial program activities are weekend adventures for FIRST students. They will bike the Mickelson trail, camp and hike near Harney Peak and volunteer in the community.
“These connections provide the students with a foundation of support both academically and socially during their first year at Tech,” Wilson said. “Participants will be able to take advantage of in-hall tutoring and coordinated classes and study groups. Other features of the program will give participants opportunities to live, learn and succeed.”
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Welcome Week Introduces Students To A New Year
Beginning a college career is a major change for high school graduates who must adjust to new friends, new classes and new surroundings. Those same challenges face transfer and non-traditional students.
South Dakota Tech uses the annual Welcome Week to help students transition successfully to life at the university. During the week, students meet each other, visit fraternity and sorority houses, memorize the school song and learn secrets to college success.
Tech’s Welcome Week begins Saturday, Aug. 28, and continues through Friday, Sept. 3. The highlights include:
Saturday, Aug. 28
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.: New students move into residence halls.
Sunday, Aug. 29
6 p.m.: Students compete for prizes donated by local businesses during Prize-A-Palooza, a new ice-breaker designed by Tech’s orientation team.
8 p.m.: Comedian and speaker Wendi Fox brings the “Alcohol Insanity Tour” to the Surbeck Center Ballroom to teach students about how alcohol abuse has become a national catastrophe. Fox draws from her own personal experience of being raised in an alcoholic environment to demonstrate the dangers of alcohol abuse.
Monday, Aug. 30
1 p.m. to 5 p.m.: Students get to know Rapid City by visiting parks, tourist attractions and businesses.
7 p.m.: Travelin’ Max uses music, conga lines and giveaways to teach South Dakota Tech traditions, including the school song, to incoming freshmen. Also during the show, freshmen receive their green beanies. Tradition holds that the frosh, as they are known, will wear the beanies until halftime of the M-Week football game September 25.
Tuesday, Aug. 31
5 p.m.: President’s Picnic, Quad
7 p.m.: New and returning students learn how to handle common college life situations during Student Life Skits, performed by staff, faculty and students in the King Center. Friday, Sept. 3
9 p.m.: Students attend the Welcome Back Dance, the first big party of the year held in the Quad.
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South Dakota Tech To Unveil New State Geologic Map
South Dakota’s geology hasn’t changed much during the past few thousand years, but our knowledge of it has grown so much since 1953 that a new geological map of the entire state became necessary.
Researchers and scientists from South Dakota Tech and the state of South Dakota will unveil the updated map at 2 p.m. Monday, Aug. 30, in the President’s Office at South Dakota Tech in Rapid City. Tech invites the media to attend.
“The map is multidimensional in its use,” Dr. James Martin said. Martin is Tech’s curator of vertebrate paleontology and a professor in the engineering and science university’s Department of Geology and Geological Engineering. Martin led the effort to complete the update. “It can be consulted for such interests as mining, water resources, geological hazards, petroleum, agriculture, planning and others. It is the only source that includes the geology of the entire state in one place.”
The investigators updated the map by researching all known geological sources and publications, mapping of selected areas, and compiling the data.
The South Dakota Geological Survey funded the project.
Researchers and scientists from Tech have been involved with the project from the beginning to serve the state’s business and social interests to generate and make use of new geological information.
The update began approximately 20 years ago and was primarily completed by Martin, J. Foster Sawyer, South Dakota Geological Survey, and Mark D. Fahrenbach, also of the South Dakota Geological Survey. Derric Iles, South Dakota State Geologist, also provided critical support and direction, particularly near the end of this large effort.
Others involved in the project included Dr. Arden Davis, Dr. Jack Redden, Dr. Alvis Lisenbee, and Dr. Jim Fox, all from Tech’s Department of Geology and Geological Engineering.
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VanBockern Wins TEA Award
The Career Service Council at South Dakota Tech has given its Traditions of Excellence Award for August 2004 to Connie VanBockern, the senior secretary the office of the Deans of Engineering and Science. She has been employed at Tech since July 1995.
.The Career Service Council gives the award to someone who has performed their assigned duties at a high level or above and beyond expectations, who has taken the initiative to promote the concept of successful job completion and has promoted a positive working relationship with students, faculty and staff.
VanBockern’s nominator said, “Connie is a hard-working individual whose positive personality and dedication are contagious. She spent countless hours this summer reviewing, editing and proofing the ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering & Technology) booklets for the nine engineering departments, assuring the major deadlines were met. Her keen eye for detail caught several errors, that would have reflected poorly on Tech if they had not been corrected. Upon completion of the ABET booklets, Connie diligently began work on the HLC (Higher Learning Commission) report. These tasks were performed in addition to duties for the three engineering deans. Connie's tireless efforts and willingness to help others when needed have earned her recognition for these outstanding achievements.”
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South Dakota Tech Volunteers During Day Of Caring
South Dakota Tech staff members and students will do yard work at the home of an elderly Rapid City resident during the United Way Day of Caring, scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 2.
Tech’s team will volunteer at 1603 6th St. in Rapid City.
Tech sends a group volunteers to participate in the Day of Caring every year to contribute to the community and to make Rapid City an even better place to live.
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SBIR Workshop Coming To South Dakota Tech
Rapid City Area Economic Development Partnership, Western Research Alliance, Genesis of Innovation and South Dakota Tech are sponsoring a workshop later this month to describe research and development business start-up opportunities. The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) workshop is scheduled from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 15, in the Surbeck Center at South Dakota Tech in Rapid City.
SBIR provides funding to domestic small businesses to engage in research and development that has the potential for commercialization. The program will award $2 billion to American small businesses and start-up companies this year.
The South Dakota Governor’s Office of Economic Development and the South Dakota SBIR Center will sponsor 18 awards of up to $3,500 each to assist businesses prepare proposals for SBIR proposals of up to $100,000.
During the Sept. 15 workshop, participants will learn about the SBIR program, meet the West River SBIR agent, Dale N. “Butch” Skillman, and learn about the proposal guidelines.
The organizers invite anyone interested. There is no charge to attend.
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Tech To Host National Science Foundation Events
South Dakota Tech will host two National Science Foundation events in Rapid City next week.
On Thursday, Sept. 16 at the Surbeck Center, Tech will host a one-day workshop about NSF and its programs. Representatives from five of the NSF’s directorates will make presentations on their programs, and they will be available for more specific discussions of potential research proposals.
The Biological Sciences, Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Geosciences, Engineering, and Education and Human Resources directorates will participate.
On Friday, Sept. 17, Tech will host the annual South Dakota NSF EPSCoR Conference being held at the Ramkota Hotel & Conference Center in Rapid City. EPSCoR is the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research.
EPSCoR, targets states that historically have received a relatively small proportion of NSF research funding, promotes development of science and technology resources through partnerships involving a state's universities, industry, and government, as well as the Federal research and development enterprise.
Conference presenters will include Ms. Karen Sandberg, NSF EPSCoR program manager, as well as nationally prominent researchers in the fields of Advanced Materials and Processing, Biocomplexity and Cellular Biology.
All of those fields are important as South Dakota moves toward a technology-based economy. South Dakota Tech is playing a role in that transition as the university positions its research to create economic development opportunities for the state and its workforce.
The SD EPSCoR “Science on the Move” mobile lab will be available for tours. In the afternoon, the Western Research Alliance will host a seminar focusing on biocomplexity and bioprocessing research in South Dakota.
Posters describing South Dakota research projects will be on display throughout the conference.
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Twin Towers Recovery Presentation Sept. 13
Engineers played an important role in protecting the health and safety of workers and volunteers involved in the rescue and clean-up efforts at the World Trade Center site after the September 11, 2001 attack on the United States.
A South Dakota Tech professor will describe that role during a presentation at 3 p.m. Monday, Sept. 13, in the Surbeck Center Ballroom. Tech invites the public to attend and learn about the effort to make sure workers and volunteers remained safe.
“People will hear stories and see photos they’ve never heard or seen before,” Industrial Engineering professor Dr. Carter Kerk said. “People will have a better understanding of what went into the recovery and clean-up operations.”
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Tech Sails Into Space-based Research Project
Dr. Chris Jenkins, a researcher at South Dakota Tech, is developing instrumentation that could help NASA find planets outside our solar system, photograph the sun and create an advanced warning system for radiation from solar storms.
Jenkins is a professor in Tech’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, and he is joined in his work by collaborators at the NASA Langley Research Center, James Madison University and Tethers, Inc. Together, they will design a very lightweight optical instrumentation package that will be tested on solar sails during ground-based experiments. If all goes well, the experiments will continue as part of actual flight missions.
A solar sail is a very large mirror that reflects sunlight. As the photons of sunlight strike the sail and bounce off, they gently push the sail along by transferring momentum to it. Just as sails on a ship allow it to move forward, solar sails enable spacecraft to move within the solar system and between stars without bulky rocket engines and enormous amounts of fuel.
The instrumentation Jenkins is developing will monitor solar sails and their performance during flight.
“Solar sails represent a tremendous opportunity for in-space propulsion of a number of NASA science missions,” Jenkins said. “Without experimental data, solar sail technology will be seriously hampered.
“The project also gives Tech important visibility as a significant contributor to NASA and provides needed educational resources for our students,” Jenkins said.
The optical systems developed also offer the potential for technology transfer and economic development. The research is funded with $140,000 from NASA.
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South Dakota Tech Grad Student Finds Rare Whale
Maggie Hart, a South Dakota Tech paleontology student, recently found a rare, beaked whale that washed ashore on St. Catherine’s Island off the coast of Georgia.
At the time of her discovery on July 29, Hart, a master’s degree candidate from Brea, Calif., was working on the St. Catherine’s Island Sea Turtle Conservation Program. In her studies of sea turtles, Hart is collaborating with Mike Knell of Council Bluffs, Iowa. Knell also is a Tech paleontology graduate student. Their work augments studies of fossil sea turtles found in South Dakota.
Hart measured the 13-foot whale, photographed it and collected its skull for identification by Dr. James Mead at The Smithsonian Institution’s Museum of Natural History. He identified it as a Sowerby's beaked whale, probably a yearling female. The Smithsonian will retain the whale’s skull for confirmation and to serve as a voucher specimen for this rare species’ distribution.
Almost nothing is known about the natural history of the Sowerby’s beaked whale. They reach a length of approximately 18 feet long, travel in pods of up to 10 and presumably eat small fish and squid. Sowerbys are the most northerly distributed beaked whale, living in the North Atlantic, from Massachusetts to Labrador, eastward to Iceland, the British Isles and western Europe. This is only the thirteenth Sowerby’s stranding documented in the western Atlantic. Prior to this, a stranding on the Gulf Coast of Florida was the only sighting in the temperate western Atlantic.
The St. Catherine’s Island Sea Turtle Conservation Program is an example of Tech students combining classroom and real-world experiences to add to the body of scientific knowledge.
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August R&D Funding Tops $1 Million At S.D. Tech
South Dakota Tech researchers and professors received more than $1 million in research and development funding during August 2004. The awards will fund research into space exploration, strong and longer-lasting bridges and advanced materials and will create a nanotechnology research center.
South Dakota Tech, an engineering and science university in Rapid City, boasts a solid research program. The August awards represent an increase of more than $462,000 over August 2003. So far in the 2005 fiscal year that began in July, Tech researchers received more than $1.9 million in sponsored research and development funding, a $1 million increase over last year.
“This increase in research funding reflects the efforts of many individuals at South Dakota Tech,” university President Dr. Charles Ruch said. “I think it also indicates an increased awareness of the important work done by our researchers.”
Tech is home to several research institutions and centers, and plans are underway to expand the number of graduate degrees and to enhance the technology-transfer process.
The August awards:
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Dr. Jon Kellar, chair, Department of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering, received $585,000 from the South Dakota 2010 Initiative to create the Center for Accelerated Applications at the Nanoscale, a new research center on campus.
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Dr. Chris Jenkins, professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, received $60,000 from NASA to develop instrumentation for solar sails for space exploration.
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Dr. Venkataswamy Ramakrishnan, distinguished professor emeritus, and Dr. Anil Patnaik, assistant professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, received $22,000 from the South Dakota Department of Transportation to study the performance of two new types of concrete that are being used to build five bridges in Rapid City and Sioux Falls. Ramakrishnan developed the new types of concrete.
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Dr. Kerri Vierling, associate professor, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, received $5,000 from the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department to study the reproduction of black-backed and Lewis’s woodpeckers following fire and salvage logging operations in the Black Hills.
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Dr. Edward Duke, manager of analytical services, Engineering and Mining Experiment Station, and professor, Department of Geology and Geological Engineering, received $156,000 from NASA to create fellowships for Tech students interested in participating in NASA-related research projects.
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Dr. Sookie Bang, professor, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and Dr. Venkataswamy Ramakrishnan, distinguished professor emeritus, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, received $7,947 from the National Science Foundation to continue their research into the use of microbes to seal cracks in concrete.
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Dr. Jan Puszynski, Dean, College of Materials Science and Engineering, and Dr. Jacek Swiatkiewicz, instructor and research scientist II, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, received $110,000 from the National Science Foundation to continue their research into the creation of nanocomposite materials.
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Dr. Karen Whitehead, vice president for Academic Affairs, received $5,130 from the South Dakota Board of Regents to continue a teacher training program. Whitehead also received $147,016 from the South Dakota Department of Education to create summer math institutes for teachers.
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In the Aggregate: Concrete Advances
Two new types of concrete developed by a South Dakota Tech researcher will pave the way for the construction of better bridges in Rapid City and Sioux Falls.
The new concrete is expected to be stronger, more durable and more resistant to cracking than concrete currently used in bridge construction, according to Tech’s Dr. Venkataswamy Ramakrishnan.
Ramakrishnan — “Dr. Rama” to those on campus �� is a distinguished professor emeritus in Tech’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Concrete is made from a mixture crushed stone or gravel, sand, cement and water. Chemicals are added to make the concrete durable and more workable. The proportion of the sizes of the stone and sand, called gradation, has a major influence on the quality of concrete produced.
In South Dakota, all bridge decks have been constructed using a standard concrete specified by the state Department of Transportation.
Since 2002, Ramakrishnan has used $102,000 in research funding from the South Dakota Department of Transportation and United States Department of Transportation to investigate different gradations that would result in better concrete.
After two years of laboratory work, Ramakrishnan developed the two new concrete mixes. Both new types of concrete use less cement, which according to Ramakrishnan, “improves the overall durability and other desirable properties of concrete”
One of the new types of concrete will be used in the three major bridges that will be part of the Southeast Connector in Rapid City. One of the bridges, located close to Interstate 90, was completed last month.
The second type provided deck material for two Sioux Falls bridges on Interstate 29.
“This optimized concrete will considerably increase the service life of the bridges and save millions of dollars in repair and maintenance costs,” Ramakrishnan said.
During the six to nine months after construction, Ramakrishnan and Dr. Anil Patnaik, assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, will thoroughly investigate and document any cracking in the new bridges. They will compare the data to bridges constructed with standard concrete.
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Sorority To Wash Cars For Charity
The Alpha Delta Pi Sorority at South Dakota Tech will wash cars for charity from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 17, behind the sorority house at 324 E. Saint Joseph St. The house is located next to the Dakota Business Center. Sorority members will accept free-will donations. The sorority will donate all money raised to the Ronald McDonald House, the national philanthropy project of Alpha Delta Pi Sorority. Ronald McDonald House provides housing to families of seriously ill children who are receiving treatment at nearby hospitals.
“We are raising money through this car wash to help families out in their time of need,” Alpha Delta Pi President Lindsay Lipps said. Lipps, of Hay Springs, Neb., is majoring in Industrial Engineering. “When we go to Sioux Falls and volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House, it’s a great feeling to see the families who we’ve been able to help through these wonderful projects.”
Appointments for car washes are not necessary.
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‘Can I Kiss You?’ Scheduled At South Dakota Tech
South Dakota Tech invites the community to a presentation about healthy dating, consent and sexual assault awareness scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 15, in the Surbeck Center Ballroom at Tech.
Mike Domitrz presents seminars to colleges and high schools and at conferences around the county. His presentation, called “Can I Kiss You,” shows the devastation and trauma caused by sexual assault. He has created a truly interactive and engaging program designed to create change in the lives of each audience member.
According to his website, “Mike Domitrz understands that students want to be entertained. They want a compelling and powerful program that each of them can relate to in a meaningful manner. For this reason, Mike takes each audience on a journey from hysterical laughter to hard-hitting questions followed with thought-provoking answers.”
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M-Week Begins Sept. 19
South Dakota Tech’s M-Week Homecoming celebration begins Sunday, Sept. 19.
Activities begin with the Senior/Frosh Picnic at Dinosaur Hill where students will drape a blanket that features a giant “M” over one of the cement creatures. The climax of the week – the Homecoming football game, gets underway at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27, against University of Mary.
M-Week has a 90-year history at South Dakota Tech. Students, staff and faculty hold the M-Week traditions close because the activities are the things everyone on campus has in common. It’s a time for students to celebrate being at the university and to carry on traditions started decades ago — and, perhaps, to start brand a few new ones.
These South Dakota Tech M-Week events are open to the public:
Sunday, Sept. 19
11 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Senior/Frosh Picnic, Dinosaur Hill
Monday, Sept. 20
7 p.m.: Introduction of the Homecoming Candidates, Quad
Thursday, Sept. 23
7 p.m.: Homecoming Royalty Coronation, Surbeck Center Ballroom
Following Coronation: Homecoming Bonfire, parking lot between Surbeck Center and the Library.
Friday, Sept. 26
11 a.m.: Howard Peterson Hall ribbon-cutting
Noon: M-Week Picnic, city park at the foot of M Hill.
Saturday, Sept. 27
11 a.m.: Homecoming Parade and tailgate, downtown Rapid City and O’Harra Stadium
1 p.m.: Homecoming football game vs. University of Mary, O’Harra Stadium
9 p.m.: M-Day Dance, Quad
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Tech Fraternity Schedules Blood Drive
The Theta Tau fraternity at South Dakota Tech will hold a blood drive from 2:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 20, at the fraternity house, 109 Kansas City Street.
The fraternity invites all eligible donors to participate. No appointments are necessary.
Theta Tau is the is the world's oldest and largest professional engineering fraternity
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Tech Named One Of “America’s 100 Best College Buys”
South Dakota Tech has been named one of America’s 100 Best College Buys for the seventh consecutive year. Tech is the only college or university in South Dakota to make the list.
“When you add this distinction to the excellent record of Tech students finding jobs and earning high starting salaries, it shows that students are getting their money’s worth and more when they choose South Dakota Tech,” Director of Admissions Joe Mueller said.
Tech’s 2003-2004 graduates averaged starting salaries of more than $47,000. More than 80 percent are working in their career fields or are pursuing graduate or professional degrees.
The survey reported average costs of attendance, including tuition, fees, room and board. The survey found that the average 2004-2005 cost of attendance based on the regular cost at a private institution and the out-of-state cost at a public institution is $22,198. Tech’s costs are $8,373 for South Dakota residents and $13,230 for out-of-state residents.
This year’s America’s 100 Best College Buys is the ninth list published by Institutional Research & Evaluation, Inc., a research and consulting organization that specializes in the recruiting and retention of students for universities. Each year, the organization identifies the 100 colleges and universities in the United States that provide students the highest quality education at the lowest cost. The organization sends surveys to each institution that meets its criteria and makes selections for the list. This year, 1,209 universities responded to the survey.
Survey results showed that the average national ACT score for entering college freshmen was 23, the SAT average was 1090, and the average high school grade point average was 3.23. Entering freshman at Tech earned an average ACT average score of 24, SAT average of 1114 and a GPA average of 3.32.
South Dakota Tech, located in Rapid City, S.D., offers an associate’s degree; 16 undergraduate programs in engineering, science and interdisciplinary science; 10 master’s degree programs; and three Ph.D. programs.
All of Tech’s programs emphasize advanced science and math, and all combine classroom instruction with hands-on laboratory work. In addition, 75 percent of Tech graduates have relevant work experience through co-ops and internships.
A university or college must meet the following criteria to be eligible:
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Be an accredited, four-year institution offering bachelor’s degrees.
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Offer full residential facilities including residence halls and dining services.
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Have had an entering freshman class in the fall of 2003 with a high school grade point average and/or SAT/ACT score equal to or above the national average for entering college freshmen.
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Have an out-of-state cost of attendance in 2004-2005 for three-quarters or two semesters below the national average cost of attendance or not exceeding the national average cost by more than 10 percent.
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Tech To Host UFO Lecture
In 1967, Robert Hastings was involved in a UFO sighting at an Air Force missile base in Montana. It was an experience that inspired him to begin collecting evidence of an official government cover-up of UFO activity.
South Dakota Tech invites the community to attend a free lecture by Hastings scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 27 in the Surbeck Center Ballroom.
In 1967, Hastings was a self-described “16-year-old Air Force brat” who knew several of the air traffic controllers on base. He was in the tower in March of that year when five unidentified aerial targets suddenly began to be tracked on multiple radar scopes.
“On the night in question, it was immediately apparent to these gentlemen that the objects they were tracking on radar were neither conventional aircraft nor helicopters,” Hastings has told audiences. “For approximately a 30-minute period, these aerial objects were observed on radar at times to hover, at other times they performed high speed aerial maneuvers.
“At one point during the radar tracking, two jets were launched to attempt an intercept of these objects whereupon they were observed to ascend in unison at an extreme rate of speed.”
Hastings said the five objects were maneuvering near nuclear missile silos located southeast of the base.
Since then, Hastings has collected thousands of pages of previously classified documents that he believes prove that the U.S. government has hidden the existence of UFOs from the public.
Hastings will speak about that evidence during his lecture at Tech. The event is sponsored by Tech Activities and Programs, the university’s student programming board.
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Employers Recruit Tech Students During Career Fair
More than 55 companies from around the country will be on the South Dakota Tech campus Tuesday, Sept. 21, to recruit Tech students for full-time employment and for internships.
The Career Fair will be held from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Surbeck Center Ballroom. The Career Fair is not open to the public, but Tech invites the media to attend.
Nationally, college students have found that companies are not hiring as many new graduates as in recent years, but Tech grads have done well in the search for work.
“Despite a tight job market, Tech graduates are finding excellent work in their fields,” Darrell Sawyer, Tech’s director of Career Planning and Placement, said. “That shows that employers are looking for students with the kinds of skills Tech graduates have.”
Tech offers 16 undergraduate degrees in engineering, science and interdisciplinary studies. All undergraduate programs emphasize advanced science and math, and all combine classroom instruction with hands-on laboratory work. In addition, 75 percent of Tech graduates have relevant work experience through co-ops and internships. That increases their marketability to employers.
“That combination sets up our graduates for success,” Sawyer said. “They leave Tech with the theoretical and practical knowledge and the experience they need.”
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Tech Welcomes Vice President For Research
South Dakota Tech will host a reception for the university new Vice President for Research at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Sept, 21, in the Surbeck Center Bump Lounge. Tech invites the media to meet Dr. Gautam Pillay and to hear about his plans build on the university’s commitment to create research programs that generate new knowledge and technology-based economic benefits for the state and the nation. Dr. Pillay will be available for one-on-one interviews at 9:30 a.m.
Pillay began his duties Sept. 15. This is a new position at Tech. Some of the duties were performed by Dr. Sherry Farwell, former Dean of Graduate Education and Research, who has been named director of the National Science Foundation’s EPSCoR program.
Pillay earned a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from New Mexico State University and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M University. He has a substantial record as a researcher and administrator in academia and at Department of Energy national laboratories.
Since 2001, Pillay has served as the executive director of the Inland Northwest Research Alliance, Inc., a non-profit scientific and educational organization of eight research universities, and as a research professor at Idaho State University. At the research alliance, Pillay was responsible for developing new collaborative research and educational opportunities for the member universities, developing and implementing strategic plans, developing business opportunities, monitoring contract and fiscal performance, conducting federal relations activities with Congressional delegations from five states, and managing human resources.
Between 1997 and 2001, Pillay served as a senior manager at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Prior to Los Alamos, he served at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s Environmental Technology Division for more than four years as a senior research engineer.
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Tech To Cut Ribbon For ‘Howard Peterson Hall’
South Dakota Tech will officially cut the ribbon and dedicate the new, 300-bed Howard Peterson Hall dormitory during a ceremony scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday, Sept. 24.
Tech students moved into the student-centered residence hall this fall. The dormitory features multiple styles of rooms and other amenities that students want.
The dormitory is named in honor of Dr. Howard Peterson. In his more than 50-year relationship with South Dakota Tech, Peterson has become a cornerstone of what the university represents.
Peterson has a long legacy at Tech. A native of Alpena, he attended Tech in an era when most students were veterans of World War II, and few were traditional, out-of-high-school youngsters. Howard was one of the youngsters. He was active in many campus organizations, and received a bachelor’s degree in Geological Engineering in 1950. After working in oil exploration, he taught high school in eastern South Dakota. During his teaching years, he earned a master’s degree in Education in 1955 from Northern State Teachers College. He then returned to Tech and was appointed assistant dean of students. He later earned a doctorate in Education from the University of South Dakota.
From the 1960s into the 1990s, Peterson truly was a personal friend of most Tech students. He retired as dean of students in 1992, only to immediately play a leadership role that made a significant impact on the very successful, first-ever capital campaign in the university’s history. Peterson continues to mentor students as an advisor, as a member of several university boards and as chairman-emeritus of the SDSM&T Foundation Board of Directors.
The hall was constructed adjacent to the south end of the Surbeck Center. Room configurations include suites and standard double rooms. Study lounges, a kitchen and an exercise room also will be included. Since the residence hall will connect to the Surbeck Center’s main floor, a coffee and smoothie shop, the cashier’s office, the campus safety office and a common front desk operation will serve both.
Features of the new building include:
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Individual temperature control in each room
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Air conditioning
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Large windows
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Sinks in every room
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Moveable furniture
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Beds that can be bunked or lofted with provided hardware
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Large laundry room with ice machine
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Exercise room
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Study rooms
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Private showers and dressing areas in the public shower rooms
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Kitchen
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Card access entry to rooms
Howard Peterson Hall will be home to the inaugural group of more than 100 students to participate in a new Tech program designed to help freshmen succeed. The program, called FIRST, Freshman Introduction to Real Success at Tech, will help students develop connections with each other and the university during each student’s first year on campus.
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South Dakota Tech News Report
August-September 2004
July R&D Funding Tops $860,000 At South Dakota Tech
South Dakota Tech researchers and professors received more than $860,000 in research and development funding during July 2004. The awards will fund research into advanced materials, create a women’s mentoring program, continue developing a biochemical engineering program and investigate causes of water pollution in Black Hills streams.
South Dakota Tech, an engineering and science university in Rapid City, boasts a solid research program. In the 2004 fiscal year, South Dakota Tech researchers received more than $11.9 million in sponsored research and development funding. Since 2001, South Dakota Tech has received nearly $60 million in Congressional appropriations for research and development, including $15.2 million in the 2005 Defense spending bill.
Tech is home to several research institutions and centers, and plans are underway to expand the number of graduate degrees and to enhance the technology-transfer process.
The July awards:
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Dr. William Cross, instructor and research scientist III, and Dr. Jon Kellar, professor and chair, Department of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering; Dr. Chris Jenkins, professor and chair, and Dr. Umesh Korde, associate professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, received $400,000 from the National Science Foundation for the project, “Acquisition of Instrumentation for Advanced Materials Characterization.”
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Dr. Kerri Vierling, associate professor, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Dr. Andrea Surovek, assistant professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Dr. Jennifer Karlin, assistant professor, Industrial Engineering Program, received $200,000 in additional funding from the National Science Foundation for the project, “CAREER: A Keystone Species Approach to Determining Post-fire Successional Influence on Cavity user Communities in the Black Hills, South Dakota.” The funding will be used to create a women’s mentoring program at South Dakota Tech.
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Dr. Patrick Gilcrease, assistant professor, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, received $110,000 from the Great Plains Education Foundation, Inc. for the project, “Development of the Biochemical Engineering Laboratory at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.”
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Dr. Sherry Farwell, adjunct research scientist IV, received $97,402 from United States Department of Defense for the project, “Develop a Cryogenic Focusing System.”
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Dr. Charles Kliche, professor, and Dr. Zbigniew Hladysz, professor, Mining Engineering and Management Program, received $54,487 from the United States Department of Labor – Mine Safety and Health Administration for the project, “Mine Health and Safety Training.”
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Dr. Alvis Lisenbee, professor, Department of Geology and Geological Engineering, received $4,479 from the West Dakota Water Development District for the project, “Determination of Historic Ground Water Pollution Problems, Spring Creek, Rapid Creek and Box Elder Creek Drainages.”
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S.D. Tech FY 2004 R&D Funding Nearly $12 Million
South Dakota Tech researchers and professors received a near-record of more than $11.9 million in research and development funding during the 2004 fiscal year that ended in June.
The awards are funding research in departments across campus. Some research is basic, and is designed to create new knowledge or to add to the literature on a given topic. Other research is applied, and is meant to produce real-world products. South Dakota Tech has placed an emphasis on applied research to benefit the state, region and nation.
��Research is a critical endeavor for this university,” Tech President Dr. Charles Ruch said. “Using research to create technology-based economic development opportunities represents a way for Tech to make South Dakota an even better place to live and work.”
Tech, an engineering and science university in Rapid City, is home to several research institutions and centers, and plans are underway to expand the number of graduate degrees and to enhance the technology-transfer process.
Tech boasts a solid research program. During the 2004 fiscal year, Tech researchers and professors received 93 awards from federal and state agencies, from corporations, and from direct Congressional appropriations. Since 2001, Tech has received nearly $60 million in Congressional appropriations for research and development, including $15.2 million in the 2005 Defense spending bill. In the first month of the 2005 fiscal year, Tech researchers and professors received more than $860,000 in awards, four times the amount received in July 2003.
“We will continue to be aggressive in our efforts to bring research funding to South Dakota,” Ruch said. “We want South Dakota to enjoy a vibrant and healthy economy, and we believe we can help make that happen. We appreciate the assistance of our industrial partners and the South Dakota Congressional delegation for helping us reach this important goal.”
FY 2004 award highlights:
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Researchers and professors across campus received $6,150,000 in Congressional appropriations through the Army Research Laboratory for a series of projects designed to create a lighter, faster, more lethal and better defended U.S. Army. The projects range from creating new materials for vehicles to polymers for protective gear. All of the research is designed to help create the Army’s Future Combat Systems.
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Two researchers are using an $802,108 Congressional appropriation through the Air Force Research Laboratory to build better, cheaper and faster satellites for defense and surveillance applications. One portion of the research focuses on finding a material for satellites that doesn’t expand and retract as the satellite travels around the Earth. The other project’s aim is to create methods and materials for producing mirrors much larger than are currently used in space. Larger mirrors have better resolving power, and can identify, track, and detail smaller objects on the Earth’s surface.
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Researchers in Tech’s Institute of Atmospheric Sciences received $225,000 from the United States Department of Energy to continue developing a carbon sequestration program that would allow farmers and ranchers to earn money by storing carbon in soil for companies that need to reduce carbon emissions.
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Two other Institute of Atmospheric Sciences projects – funded with $300,000 from NASA and $91,743 from the National Science Foundation – involve studying the impact of lightning-produced nitric oxide on global warming and of wetlands in eastern South Dakota on regional climate.
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Several Tech researchers are involved in a project to determine the viability of a select group of composite materials for use in vehicles. The three-year project is funded with $450,000 from the United States Department of Energy. If the composites prove to be viable, the end result could be lighter-weight cars that go further on a tank of gas. The research also could impact the entire automotive industry.
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A research project involving South Dakota Tech and a Rapid City company called HydroTech Engineering could result in an inexpensive way to remove arsenic from drinking water. The project comes at the perfect time. The drinking water standard for arsenic, currently set at 50 parts-per-billion, will be lowered to 10 ppb by 2006 because of arsenic’s links to cancer. In South Dakota, it is estimated that 30, or 8.6 percent, of the state’s public water systems will violate the 10 ppb arsenic standard. The American Water Works Association has estimated the cost of decreasing the arsenic standard to 10 ppb in South Dakota at $8.25 million. The $40,000 research project is funded by the Environmental Protection Agency.
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Two South Dakota Tech researchers are creating living organisms that may provide a better way to seal cracks in concrete. The researchers received $51,601 from the National Science Foundation to continue developing genetically engineered microorganisms that can produce excess amounts of organic and inorganic biosealant for concrete. The microbial sealant is a smart material that is environmentally safer and economically more feasible than the currently available synthetic sealing materials.
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South Dakota Tech Hires Vice President For Research
South Dakota Tech has hired a Vice President for Research in a move to continue to build on the university’s commitment to create research programs that generate new knowledge and technology-based economic benefits for the state and the nation.
Dr. Gautam Pillay will begin his duties on Sept. 15. This is a new position at Tech. Some of the duties were performed by Dr. Sherry Farwell, former Dean of Graduate Education and Research, who has been named director of the National Science Foundation’s EPSCoR program.
Pillay earned a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from New Mexico State University and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M University. He has a substantial record as a researcher and administrator in academia and at Department of Energy national laboratories.
Since 2001, Pillay has served as the executive director of the Inland Northwest Research Alliance, Inc., a non-profit scientific and educational organization of eight research universities, and as a research professor at Idaho State University. At the research alliance, Pillay was responsible for developing new collaborative research and educational opportunities for the member universities, developing and implementing strategic plans, developing business opportunities, monitoring contract and fiscal performance, conducting federal relations activities with Congressional delegations from five states, and managing human resources.
Between 1997 and 2001, Pillay served as a senior manager at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Prior to Los Alamos, he served at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s Environmental Technology Division for more than four years as a senior research engineer.
“Dr. Pillay possesses a significant record of accomplishment, evident by his many honors and awards, his membership in various professional organizations, and his numerous professional publications,” Tech President Dr. Charles Ruch said. “One of Tech’s strategies in the near future is to focus our research efforts in areas where we have, or can build, expertise. That will make us more competitive for research funding, and help us achieve our economic development goals. Dr. Pillay has the experience and skills to help us reach the lofty goals and expectations we’ve set for ourselves.”
In his new position, Pillay will provide administrative oversight, leadership and mentorship in the development and implementation of campus-wide research and graduate studies that are integrally linked to the university’s mission. He joins a university that already boasts a solid research program. In the 2003 fiscal year, South Dakota Tech researchers received more than $12 million in sponsored research funding. Since 2001, South Dakota Tech has received more than $55 million in Congressional appropriations for research and development, including $15.2 million in the 2005 Defense spending bill. Defense-related projects include research to make our military more efficient while better protecting our troops in the field.
“I am very excited about this opportunity to work at Tech with its accomplished researchers, students and administrators,” Pillay said. “Tech’s faculty and graduates have impressive records of accomplishments, and I look forward to assisting them in developing new research and educational programs and furthering the strong, ongoing projects. My wife and I are also very pleased to be able to live in Rapid City and enjoy the Black Hills.”
Tech is home to several research institutions and centers, and plans are underway to both expand the number of graduate degrees and to enhance the technology-transfer process.
One of those institutes is the Center for Accelerated Applications at the Nanoscale (CAAN). Tech has received $585,000 from the state of South Dakota to create CAAN, where work will focus on nanotechnology research in the areas of nanoparticles and associated nanosensors, with particular emphasis on South Dakota mineral development. Nanotechnology is an umbrella term that covers many areas of research dealing with objects measured in nanometers. A nanometer is a billionth of a meter, or a millionth of a millimeter. A human hair’s diameter measures about 200,000 nanometers.
Other new research initiatives include:
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The creation of the Institute for Multi-Scale Materials (IMM). The institute will coordinate and enhance materials science research activities currently under way. Much of the institute’s work will be defense-related, and could result in the materials we need for the next generation of products, industries and systems that will better protect our nation and its soldiers.
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The construction of the Computational Mechanics Laboratory addition to the Civil/Mechanical Engineering Building. The laboratory will provide much needed space for a variety of high-end computing activities. The project will include additional laboratories, classrooms, office space and meeting rooms. The laboratory will provide Tech students access to the computational mechanics hardware and software currently used by industry, and will benefit faculty and researchers involved in externally-funded projects.
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The addition of Maskless Mesoscale Materials Deposition (M3D) technology to Tech’s materials research arsenal. The technology will allow researchers to place electronics on materials that are 25 microns, or one-thousandth of an inch, wide. The process is related to the laser additive deposition capability found in Tech’s Advanced Materials Processing Center. The capabilities of the M3D equipment will improve the end results of projects such as the advanced antenna research for national defense uses.
“Dr. Pillay will play a major leadership role in guiding these and all of Tech’s research initiatives to help us achieve our institutional priorities,” Ruch said. “We are excited about Dr. Pillay joining our team because we know how talented he is.”
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Students Move Into Howard Peterson Hall On Friday
South Dakota Tech’s new, student-centered residence hall opens its doors to students Friday, Aug. 27.
The first students to move into the 300-bed Howard Peterson Hall are participants in a new program called FIRST, Freshman Introduction to Real Success at Tech. They will move in between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Howard Peterson Hall was constructed adjacent to the south end of the Surbeck Center. Room configurations include suites and standard double rooms. Study lounges, a kitchen and an exercise room offer other amenities students desire. Since the residence hall will connect to the Surbeck Center’s main floor, the campus cashier’s office, student lounge, computer lab and a common front desk operation will serve both.
“Providing students with more of what they want is the best part of this building project,” Residence Life Director Reeny Wilson said. “We've talked with many students, held focus groups and gathered survey information. Through a new residence hall, we will offer students more on-campus housing options and better meet their needs.”
The hall is named in honor of Howard Peterson, a 1950 Tech graduate who served the university as dean of students from the 1960s to his retirement in 1992. Peterson continues to mentor students as an advisor, as a member of several university boards and as chairman-emeritus of the SDSM&T Foundation Board of Directors.
Tech will formally dedicate the residence hall at 11 a.m. Friday, Sept. 24, to coincide with M Week festivities.
Features of the new building include:
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Individual temperature control in each room
•
Air conditioning
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Large windows
•
Sinks in every room
•
Moveable furniture
•
Beds that can be bunked or lofted
•
Large laundry room with ice machine
•
Exercise room
•
Study rooms
•
Private showers and dressing areas in the public shower rooms
•
Kitchen
•
Card access entry to rooms
The FIRST program will be an important part of life in Howard Peterson Hall. The program will help students develop connections with each other and the university during each student’s first year on campus. One of the initial program activities are weekend adventures for FIRST students. They will bike the Mickelson trail, camp and hike near Harney Peak and volunteer in the community.
“These connections provide the students with a foundation of support both academically and socially during their first year at Tech,” Wilson said. “Participants will be able to take advantage of in-hall tutoring and coordinated classes and study groups. Other features of the program will give participants opportunities to live, learn and succeed.”
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Welcome Week Introduces Students To A New Year
Beginning a college career is a major change for high school graduates who must adjust to new friends, new classes and new surroundings. Those same challenges face transfer and non-traditional students.
South Dakota Tech uses the annual Welcome Week to help students transition successfully to life at the university. During the week, students meet each other, visit fraternity and sorority houses, memorize the school song and learn secrets to college success.
Tech’s Welcome Week begins Saturday, Aug. 28, and continues through Friday, Sept. 3. The highlights include:
Saturday, Aug. 28
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.: New students move into residence halls.
Sunday, Aug. 29
6 p.m.: Students compete for prizes donated by local businesses during Prize-A-Palooza, a new ice-breaker designed by Tech’s orientation team.
8 p.m.: Comedian and speaker Wendi Fox brings the “Alcohol Insanity Tour” to the Surbeck Center Ballroom to teach students about how alcohol abuse has become a national catastrophe. Fox draws from her own personal experience of being raised in an alcoholic environment to demonstrate the dangers of alcohol abuse.
Monday, Aug. 30
1 p.m. to 5 p.m.: Students get to know Rapid City by visiting parks, tourist attractions and businesses.
7 p.m.: Travelin’ Max uses music, conga lines and giveaways to teach South Dakota Tech traditions, including the school song, to incoming freshmen. Also during the show, freshmen receive their green beanies. Tradition holds that the frosh, as they are known, will wear the beanies until halftime of the M-Week football game September 25.
Tuesday, Aug. 31
5 p.m.: President’s Picnic, Quad
7 p.m.: New and returning students learn how to handle common college life situations during Student Life Skits, performed by staff, faculty and students in the King Center. Friday, Sept. 3
9 p.m.: Students attend the Welcome Back Dance, the first big party of the year held in the Quad.
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South Dakota Tech To Unveil New State Geologic Map
South Dakota’s geology hasn’t changed much during the past few thousand years, but our knowledge of it has grown so much since 1953 that a new geological map of the entire state became necessary.
Researchers and scientists from South Dakota Tech and the state of South Dakota will unveil the updated map at 2 p.m. Monday, Aug. 30, in the President’s Office at South Dakota Tech in Rapid City. Tech invites the media to attend.
“The map is multidimensional in its use,” Dr. James Martin said. Martin is Tech’s curator of vertebrate paleontology and a professor in the engineering and science university’s Department of Geology and Geological Engineering. Martin led the effort to complete the update. “It can be consulted for such interests as mining, water resources, geological hazards, petroleum, agriculture, planning and others. It is the only source that includes the geology of the entire state in one place.”
The investigators updated the map by researching all known geological sources and publications, mapping of selected areas, and compiling the data.
The South Dakota Geological Survey funded the project.
Researchers and scientists from Tech have been involved with the project from the beginning to serve the state’s business and social interests to generate and make use of new geological information.
The update began approximately 20 years ago and was primarily completed by Martin, J. Foster Sawyer, South Dakota Geological Survey, and Mark D. Fahrenbach, also of the South Dakota Geological Survey. Derric Iles, South Dakota State Geologist, also provided critical support and direction, particularly near the end of this large effort.
Others involved in the project included Dr. Arden Davis, Dr. Jack Redden, Dr. Alvis Lisenbee, and Dr. Jim Fox, all from Tech’s Department of Geology and Geological Engineering.
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VanBockern Wins TEA Award
The Career Service Council at South Dakota Tech has given its Traditions of Excellence Award for August 2004 to Connie VanBockern, the senior secretary the office of the Deans of Engineering and Science. She has been employed at Tech since July 1995.
.The Career Service Council gives the award to someone who has performed their assigned duties at a high level or above and beyond expectations, who has taken the initiative to promote the concept of successful job completion and has promoted a positive working relationship with students, faculty and staff.
VanBockern’s nominator said, “Connie is a hard-working individual whose positive personality and dedication are contagious. She spent countless hours this summer reviewing, editing and proofing the ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering & Technology) booklets for the nine engineering departments, assuring the major deadlines were met. Her keen eye for detail caught several errors, that would have reflected poorly on Tech if they had not been corrected. Upon completion of the ABET booklets, Connie diligently began work on the HLC (Higher Learning Commission) report. These tasks were performed in addition to duties for the three engineering deans. Connie's tireless efforts and willingness to help others when needed have earned her recognition for these outstanding achievements.”
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South Dakota Tech Volunteers During Day Of Caring
South Dakota Tech staff members and students will do yard work at the home of an elderly Rapid City resident during the United Way Day of Caring, scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 2.
Tech’s team will volunteer at 1603 6th St. in Rapid City.
Tech sends a group volunteers to participate in the Day of Caring every year to contribute to the community and to make Rapid City an even better place to live.
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SBIR Workshop Coming To South Dakota Tech
Rapid City Area Economic Development Partnership, Western Research Alliance, Genesis of Innovation and South Dakota Tech are sponsoring a workshop later this month to describe research and development business start-up opportunities. The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) workshop is scheduled from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 15, in the Surbeck Center at South Dakota Tech in Rapid City.
SBIR provides funding to domestic small businesses to engage in research and development that has the potential for commercialization. The program will award $2 billion to American small businesses and start-up companies this year.
The South Dakota Governor’s Office of Economic Development and the South Dakota SBIR Center will sponsor 18 awards of up to $3,500 each to assist businesses prepare proposals for SBIR proposals of up to $100,000.
During the Sept. 15 workshop, participants will learn about the SBIR program, meet the West River SBIR agent, Dale N. “Butch” Skillman, and learn about the proposal guidelines.
The organizers invite anyone interested. There is no charge to attend.
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Tech To Host National Science Foundation Events
South Dakota Tech will host two National Science Foundation events in Rapid City next week.
On Thursday, Sept. 16 at the Surbeck Center, Tech will host a one-day workshop about NSF and its programs. Representatives from five of the NSF’s directorates will make presentations on their programs, and they will be available for more specific discussions of potential research proposals.
The Biological Sciences, Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Geosciences, Engineering, and Education and Human Resources directorates will participate.
On Friday, Sept. 17, Tech will host the annual South Dakota NSF EPSCoR Conference being held at the Ramkota Hotel & Conference Center in Rapid City. EPSCoR is the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research.
EPSCoR, targets states that historically have received a relatively small proportion of NSF research funding, promotes development of science and technology resources through partnerships involving a state's universities, industry, and government, as well as the Federal research and development enterprise.
Conference presenters will include Ms. Karen Sandberg, NSF EPSCoR program manager, as well as nationally prominent researchers in the fields of Advanced Materials and Processing, Biocomplexity and Cellular Biology.
All of those fields are important as South Dakota moves toward a technology-based economy. South Dakota Tech is playing a role in that transition as the university positions its research to create economic development opportunities for the state and its workforce.
The SD EPSCoR “Science on the Move” mobile lab will be available for tours. In the afternoon, the Western Research Alliance will host a seminar focusing on biocomplexity and bioprocessing research in South Dakota.
Posters describing South Dakota research projects will be on display throughout the conference.
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Twin Towers Recovery Presentation Sept. 13
Engineers played an important role in protecting the health and safety of workers and volunteers involved in the rescue and clean-up efforts at the World Trade Center site after the September 11, 2001 attack on the United States.
A South Dakota Tech professor will describe that role during a presentation at 3 p.m. Monday, Sept. 13, in the Surbeck Center Ballroom. Tech invites the public to attend and learn about the effort to make sure workers and volunteers remained safe.
“People will hear stories and see photos they’ve never heard or seen before,” Industrial Engineering professor Dr. Carter Kerk said. “People will have a better understanding of what went into the recovery and clean-up operations.”
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Tech Sails Into Space-based Research Project
Dr. Chris Jenkins, a researcher at South Dakota Tech, is developing instrumentation that could help NASA find planets outside our solar system, photograph the sun and create an advanced warning system for radiation from solar storms.
Jenkins is a professor in Tech’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, and he is joined in his work by collaborators at the NASA Langley Research Center, James Madison University and Tethers, Inc. Together, they will design a very lightweight optical instrumentation package that will be tested on solar sails during ground-based experiments. If all goes well, the experiments will continue as part of actual flight missions.
A solar sail is a very large mirror that reflects sunlight. As the photons of sunlight strike the sail and bounce off, they gently push the sail along by transferring momentum to it. Just as sails on a ship allow it to move forward, solar sails enable spacecraft to move within the solar system and between stars without bulky rocket engines and enormous amounts of fuel.
The instrumentation Jenkins is developing will monitor solar sails and their performance during flight.
“Solar sails represent a tremendous opportunity for in-space propulsion of a number of NASA science missions,” Jenkins said. “Without experimental data, solar sail technology will be seriously hampered.
“The project also gives Tech important visibility as a significant contributor to NASA and provides needed educational resources for our students,” Jenkins said.
The optical systems developed also offer the potential for technology transfer and economic development. The research is funded with $140,000 from NASA.
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South Dakota Tech Grad Student Finds Rare Whale
Maggie Hart, a South Dakota Tech paleontology student, recently found a rare, beaked whale that washed ashore on St. Catherine’s Island off the coast of Georgia.
At the time of her discovery on July 29, Hart, a master’s degree candidate from Brea, Calif., was working on the St. Catherine’s Island Sea Turtle Conservation Program. In her studies of sea turtles, Hart is collaborating with Mike Knell of Council Bluffs, Iowa. Knell also is a Tech paleontology graduate student. Their work augments studies of fossil sea turtles found in South Dakota.
Hart measured the 13-foot whale, photographed it and collected its skull for identification by Dr. James Mead at The Smithsonian Institution’s Museum of Natural History. He identified it as a Sowerby's beaked whale, probably a yearling female. The Smithsonian will retain the whale’s skull for confirmation and to serve as a voucher specimen for this rare species’ distribution.
Almost nothing is known about the natural history of the Sowerby’s beaked whale. They reach a length of approximately 18 feet long, travel in pods of up to 10 and presumably eat small fish and squid. Sowerbys are the most northerly distributed beaked whale, living in the North Atlantic, from Massachusetts to Labrador, eastward to Iceland, the British Isles and western Europe. This is only the thirteenth Sowerby’s stranding documented in the western Atlantic. Prior to this, a stranding on the Gulf Coast of Florida was the only sighting in the temperate western Atlantic.
The St. Catherine’s Island Sea Turtle Conservation Program is an example of Tech students combining classroom and real-world experiences to add to the body of scientific knowledge.
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August R&D Funding Tops $1 Million At S.D. Tech
South Dakota Tech researchers and professors received more than $1 million in research and development funding during August 2004. The awards will fund research into space exploration, strong and longer-lasting bridges and advanced materials and will create a nanotechnology research center.
South Dakota Tech, an engineering and science university in Rapid City, boasts a solid research program. The August awards represent an increase of more than $462,000 over August 2003. So far in the 2005 fiscal year that began in July, Tech researchers received more than $1.9 million in sponsored research and development funding, a $1 million increase over last year.
“This increase in research funding reflects the efforts of many individuals at South Dakota Tech,” university President Dr. Charles Ruch said. “I think it also indicates an increased awareness of the important work done by our researchers.”
Tech is home to several research institutions and centers, and plans are underway to expand the number of graduate degrees and to enhance the technology-transfer process.
The August awards:
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Dr. Jon Kellar, chair, Department of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering, received $585,000 from the South Dakota 2010 Initiative to create the Center for Accelerated Applications at the Nanoscale, a new research center on campus.
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Dr. Chris Jenkins, professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, received $60,000 from NASA to develop instrumentation for solar sails for space exploration.
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Dr. Venkataswamy Ramakrishnan, distinguished professor emeritus, and Dr. Anil Patnaik, assistant professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, received $22,000 from the South Dakota Department of Transportation to study the performance of two new types of concrete that are being used to build five bridges in Rapid City and Sioux Falls. Ramakrishnan developed the new types of concrete.
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Dr. Kerri Vierling, associate professor, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, received $5,000 from the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department to study the reproduction of black-backed and Lewis’s woodpeckers following fire and salvage logging operations in the Black Hills.
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Dr. Edward Duke, manager of analytical services, Engineering and Mining Experiment Station, and professor, Department of Geology and Geological Engineering, received $156,000 from NASA to create fellowships for Tech students interested in participating in NASA-related research projects.
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Dr. Sookie Bang, professor, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and Dr. Venkataswamy Ramakrishnan, distinguished professor emeritus, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, received $7,947 from the National Science Foundation to continue their research into the use of microbes to seal cracks in concrete.
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Dr. Jan Puszynski, Dean, College of Materials Science and Engineering, and Dr. Jacek Swiatkiewicz, instructor and research scientist II, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, received $110,000 from the National Science Foundation to continue their research into the creation of nanocomposite materials.
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Dr. Karen Whitehead, vice president for Academic Affairs, received $5,130 from the South Dakota Board of Regents to continue a teacher training program. Whitehead also received $147,016 from the South Dakota Department of Education to create summer math institutes for teachers.
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In the Aggregate: Concrete Advances
Two new types of concrete developed by a South Dakota Tech researcher will pave the way for the construction of better bridges in Rapid City and Sioux Falls.
The new concrete is expected to be stronger, more durable and more resistant to cracking than concrete currently used in bridge construction, according to Tech’s Dr. Venkataswamy Ramakrishnan.
Ramakrishnan — “Dr. Rama” to those on campus �� is a distinguished professor emeritus in Tech’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Concrete is made from a mixture crushed stone or gravel, sand, cement and water. Chemicals are added to make the concrete durable and more workable. The proportion of the sizes of the stone and sand, called gradation, has a major influence on the quality of concrete produced.
In South Dakota, all bridge decks have been constructed using a standard concrete specified by the state Department of Transportation.
Since 2002, Ramakrishnan has used $102,000 in research funding from the South Dakota Department of Transportation and United States Department of Transportation to investigate different gradations that would result in better concrete.
After two years of laboratory work, Ramakrishnan developed the two new concrete mixes. Both new types of concrete use less cement, which according to Ramakrishnan, “improves the overall durability and other desirable properties of concrete”
One of the new types of concrete will be used in the three major bridges that will be part of the Southeast Connector in Rapid City. One of the bridges, located close to Interstate 90, was completed last month.
The second type provided deck material for two Sioux Falls bridges on Interstate 29.
“This optimized concrete will considerably increase the service life of the bridges and save millions of dollars in repair and maintenance costs,” Ramakrishnan said.
During the six to nine months after construction, Ramakrishnan and Dr. Anil Patnaik, assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, will thoroughly investigate and document any cracking in the new bridges. They will compare the data to bridges constructed with standard concrete.
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Sorority To Wash Cars For Charity
The Alpha Delta Pi Sorority at South Dakota Tech will wash cars for charity from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 17, behind the sorority house at 324 E. Saint Joseph St. The house is located next to the Dakota Business Center. Sorority members will accept free-will donations. The sorority will donate all money raised to the Ronald McDonald House, the national philanthropy project of Alpha Delta Pi Sorority. Ronald McDonald House provides housing to families of seriously ill children who are receiving treatment at nearby hospitals.
“We are raising money through this car wash to help families out in their time of need,” Alpha Delta Pi President Lindsay Lipps said. Lipps, of Hay Springs, Neb., is majoring in Industrial Engineering. “When we go to Sioux Falls and volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House, it’s a great feeling to see the families who we’ve been able to help through these wonderful projects.”
Appointments for car washes are not necessary.
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‘Can I Kiss You?’ Scheduled At South Dakota Tech
South Dakota Tech invites the community to a presentation about healthy dating, consent and sexual assault awareness scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 15, in the Surbeck Center Ballroom at Tech.
Mike Domitrz presents seminars to colleges and high schools and at conferences around the county. His presentation, called “Can I Kiss You,” shows the devastation and trauma caused by sexual assault. He has created a truly interactive and engaging program designed to create change in the lives of each audience member.
According to his website, “Mike Domitrz understands that students want to be entertained. They want a compelling and powerful program that each of them can relate to in a meaningful manner. For this reason, Mike takes each audience on a journey from hysterical laughter to hard-hitting questions followed with thought-provoking answers.”
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M-Week Begins Sept. 19
South Dakota Tech’s M-Week Homecoming celebration begins Sunday, Sept. 19.
Activities begin with the Senior/Frosh Picnic at Dinosaur Hill where students will drape a blanket that features a giant “M” over one of the cement creatures. The climax of the week – the Homecoming football game, gets underway at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27, against University of Mary.
M-Week has a 90-year history at South Dakota Tech. Students, staff and faculty hold the M-Week traditions close because the activities are the things everyone on campus has in common. It’s a time for students to celebrate being at the university and to carry on traditions started decades ago — and, perhaps, to start brand a few new ones.
These South Dakota Tech M-Week events are open to the public:
Sunday, Sept. 19
11 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Senior/Frosh Picnic, Dinosaur Hill
Monday, Sept. 20
7 p.m.: Introduction of the Homecoming Candidates, Quad
Thursday, Sept. 23
7 p.m.: Homecoming Royalty Coronation, Surbeck Center Ballroom
Following Coronation: Homecoming Bonfire, parking lot between Surbeck Center and the Library.
Friday, Sept. 26
11 a.m.: Howard Peterson Hall ribbon-cutting
Noon: M-Week Picnic, city park at the foot of M Hill.
Saturday, Sept. 27
11 a.m.: Homecoming Parade and tailgate, downtown Rapid City and O’Harra Stadium
1 p.m.: Homecoming football game vs. University of Mary, O’Harra Stadium
9 p.m.: M-Day Dance, Quad
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Tech Fraternity Schedules Blood Drive
The Theta Tau fraternity at South Dakota Tech will hold a blood drive from 2:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 20, at the fraternity house, 109 Kansas City Street.
The fraternity invites all eligible donors to participate. No appointments are necessary.
Theta Tau is the is the world's oldest and largest professional engineering fraternity
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Tech Named One Of “America’s 100 Best College Buys”
South Dakota Tech has been named one of America’s 100 Best College Buys for the seventh consecutive year. Tech is the only college or university in South Dakota to make the list.
“When you add this distinction to the excellent record of Tech students finding jobs and earning high starting salaries, it shows that students are getting their money’s worth and more when they choose South Dakota Tech,” Director of Admissions Joe Mueller said.
Tech’s 2003-2004 graduates averaged starting salaries of more than $47,000. More than 80 percent are working in their career fields or are pursuing graduate or professional degrees.
The survey reported average costs of attendance, including tuition, fees, room and board. The survey found that the average 2004-2005 cost of attendance based on the regular cost at a private institution and the out-of-state cost at a public institution is $22,198. Tech’s costs are $8,373 for South Dakota residents and $13,230 for out-of-state residents.
This year’s America’s 100 Best College Buys is the ninth list published by Institutional Research & Evaluation, Inc., a research and consulting organization that specializes in the recruiting and retention of students for universities. Each year, the organization identifies the 100 colleges and universities in the United States that provide students the highest quality education at the lowest cost. The organization sends surveys to each institution that meets its criteria and makes selections for the list. This year, 1,209 universities responded to the survey.
Survey results showed that the average national ACT score for entering college freshmen was 23, the SAT average was 1090, and the average high school grade point average was 3.23. Entering freshman at Tech earned an average ACT average score of 24, SAT average of 1114 and a GPA average of 3.32.
South Dakota Tech, located in Rapid City, S.D., offers an associate’s degree; 16 undergraduate programs in engineering, science and interdisciplinary science; 10 master’s degree programs; and three Ph.D. programs.
All of Tech’s programs emphasize advanced science and math, and all combine classroom instruction with hands-on laboratory work. In addition, 75 percent of Tech graduates have relevant work experience through co-ops and internships.
A university or college must meet the following criteria to be eligible:
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Be an accredited, four-year institution offering bachelor’s degrees.
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Offer full residential facilities including residence halls and dining services.
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Have had an entering freshman class in the fall of 2003 with a high school grade point average and/or SAT/ACT score equal to or above the national average for entering college freshmen.
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Have an out-of-state cost of attendance in 2004-2005 for three-quarters or two semesters below the national average cost of attendance or not exceeding the national average cost by more than 10 percent.
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Tech To Host UFO Lecture
In 1967, Robert Hastings was involved in a UFO sighting at an Air Force missile base in Montana. It was an experience that inspired him to begin collecting evidence of an official government cover-up of UFO activity.
South Dakota Tech invites the community to attend a free lecture by Hastings scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 27 in the Surbeck Center Ballroom.
In 1967, Hastings was a self-described “16-year-old Air Force brat” who knew several of the air traffic controllers on base. He was in the tower in March of that year when five unidentified aerial targets suddenly began to be tracked on multiple radar scopes.
“On the night in question, it was immediately apparent to these gentlemen that the objects they were tracking on radar were neither conventional aircraft nor helicopters,” Hastings has told audiences. “For approximately a 30-minute period, these aerial objects were observed on radar at times to hover, at other times they performed high speed aerial maneuvers.
“At one point during the radar tracking, two jets were launched to attempt an intercept of these objects whereupon they were observed to ascend in unison at an extreme rate of speed.”
Hastings said the five objects were maneuvering near nuclear missile silos located southeast of the base.
Since then, Hastings has collected thousands of pages of previously classified documents that he believes prove that the U.S. government has hidden the existence of UFOs from the public.
Hastings will speak about that evidence during his lecture at Tech. The event is sponsored by Tech Activities and Programs, the university’s student programming board.
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Employers Recruit Tech Students During Career Fair
More than 55 companies from around the country will be on the South Dakota Tech campus Tuesday, Sept. 21, to recruit Tech students for full-time employment and for internships.
The Career Fair will be held from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Surbeck Center Ballroom. The Career Fair is not open to the public, but Tech invites the media to attend.
Nationally, college students have found that companies are not hiring as many new graduates as in recent years, but Tech grads have done well in the search for work.
“Despite a tight job market, Tech graduates are finding excellent work in their fields,” Darrell Sawyer, Tech’s director of Career Planning and Placement, said. “That shows that employers are looking for students with the kinds of skills Tech graduates have.”
Tech offers 16 undergraduate degrees in engineering, science and interdisciplinary studies. All undergraduate programs emphasize advanced science and math, and all combine classroom instruction with hands-on laboratory work. In addition, 75 percent of Tech graduates have relevant work experience through co-ops and internships. That increases their marketability to employers.
“That combination sets up our graduates for success,” Sawyer said. “They leave Tech with the theoretical and practical knowledge and the experience they need.”
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Tech Welcomes Vice President For Research
South Dakota Tech will host a reception for the university new Vice President for Research at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Sept, 21, in the Surbeck Center Bump Lounge. Tech invites the media to meet Dr. Gautam Pillay and to hear about his plans build on the university’s commitment to create research programs that generate new knowledge and technology-based economic benefits for the state and the nation. Dr. Pillay will be available for one-on-one interviews at 9:30 a.m.
Pillay began his duties Sept. 15. This is a new position at Tech. Some of the duties were performed by Dr. Sherry Farwell, former Dean of Graduate Education and Research, who has been named director of the National Science Foundation’s EPSCoR program.
Pillay earned a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from New Mexico State University and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M University. He has a substantial record as a researcher and administrator in academia and at Department of Energy national laboratories.
Since 2001, Pillay has served as the executive director of the Inland Northwest Research Alliance, Inc., a non-profit scientific and educational organization of eight research universities, and as a research professor at Idaho State University. At the research alliance, Pillay was responsible for developing new collaborative research and educational opportunities for the member universities, developing and implementing strategic plans, developing business opportunities, monitoring contract and fiscal performance, conducting federal relations activities with Congressional delegations from five states, and managing human resources.
Between 1997 and 2001, Pillay served as a senior manager at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Prior to Los Alamos, he served at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s Environmental Technology Division for more than four years as a senior research engineer.
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Tech To Cut Ribbon For ‘Howard Peterson Hall’
South Dakota Tech will officially cut the ribbon and dedicate the new, 300-bed Howard Peterson Hall dormitory during a ceremony scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday, Sept. 24.
Tech students moved into the student-centered residence hall this fall. The dormitory features multiple styles of rooms and other amenities that students want.
The dormitory is named in honor of Dr. Howard Peterson. In his more than 50-year relationship with South Dakota Tech, Peterson has become a cornerstone of what the university represents.
Peterson has a long legacy at Tech. A native of Alpena, he attended Tech in an era when most students were veterans of World War II, and few were traditional, out-of-high-school youngsters. Howard was one of the youngsters. He was active in many campus organizations, and received a bachelor’s degree in Geological Engineering in 1950. After working in oil exploration, he taught high school in eastern South Dakota. During his teaching years, he earned a master’s degree in Education in 1955 from Northern State Teachers College. He then returned to Tech and was appointed assistant dean of students. He later earned a doctorate in Education from the University of South Dakota.
From the 1960s into the 1990s, Peterson truly was a personal friend of most Tech students. He retired as dean of students in 1992, only to immediately play a leadership role that made a significant impact on the very successful, first-ever capital campaign in the university’s history. Peterson continues to mentor students as an advisor, as a member of several university boards and as chairman-emeritus of the SDSM&T Foundation Board of Directors.
The hall was constructed adjacent to the south end of the Surbeck Center. Room configurations include suites and standard double rooms. Study lounges, a kitchen and an exercise room also will be included. Since the residence hall will connect to the Surbeck Center’s main floor, a coffee and smoothie shop, the cashier’s office, the campus safety office and a common front desk operation will serve both.
Features of the new building include:
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Individual temperature control in each room
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Air conditioning
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Large windows
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Sinks in every room
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Moveable furniture
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Beds that can be bunked or lofted with provided hardware
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Large laundry room with ice machine
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Exercise room
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Study rooms
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Private showers and dressing areas in the public shower rooms
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Kitchen
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Card access entry to rooms
Howard Peterson Hall will be home to the inaugural group of more than 100 students to participate in a new Tech program designed to help freshmen succeed. The program, called FIRST, Freshman Introduction to Real Success at Tech, will help students develop connections with each other and the university during each student’s first year on campus.
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